by Mike Embree, Special to USA TODAY Sports

It was a good news-bad news sort of day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Keselowski broke the track Sprint Cup qualifying record with a lap of 135.922 miles per hour to win the pole for Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 301. Keselowski, the series' defending champion, has struggled in recent races, finishing no better than 12th in the past five events. He has dropped to 13th in the point standings.

Nine other drivers also flew past the former track record of 135.232 owned by Ryan Newman.

One of them was Johnson, who was second in speed to Keselowski at 135.902. That run proved temporary, however, as NASCAR disallowed Johnson's time when his Chevrolet was deemed too low in post-qualifying inspection.

The Hendrick Motorsports car failed pre-race inspection twice because of what crew chief Chad Knaus called a "misassembly issue" on the car's left front. Knaus said the team made an error in putting together the left front, and that caused issues with the overall height.

"We had a small problem," Knaus said. "It happens. There are a lot of things you do in a short amount of time. You don't have a lot of time to get through final assembly to get the car ready to qualify. We just missed a little detail there."

The fact that Johnson's speed was disallowed means he will start the race at the rear of the field instead of second. The team also lost a prime spot on pit road.

"We'll have to be aggressive," Knaus said. "It's a very short race. I look forward to the challenge. I think it will be fun."

Keselowski said his pole run produces some momentum for Sunday.

"This team has had the speed, and we feel like we can get the execution," he said. "Things are starting to come together."

The top 10 drivers in points after race No. 26 qualify for the Chase, and two wild card drivers (those with the most race wins in the 11-20 positions) also will make the playoffs. Keselowski currently is outside the playoff window.

Following Keselowski, who scored his first pole of the year, in the top five Friday were Johnson, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch. Kurt Busch moved up into the second starting position after Johnson's speed was disqualified.